GENEVA: Global air cargo markets grew by 7.7 percent in August, surpassing pre-COVID levels as demand continues to be strong but pressure on capacity is rising, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
Global demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers (CTKs), was up 7.7% compared to August 2019 (8.6% for international operations). Overall growth remains strong compared to the long-term average growth trend of around 4.7%.
The pace of growth slowed slightly compared to July, which saw demand increase 8.8% (against pre-COVID-19 levels). Cargo capacity recovery paused in August, down 12.2% compared to August 2019 ( 13.2% for international operations). In month-on-month terms, capacity fell by 1.6% – the largest drop since January 2021.
Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth but are slightly weaker than in the previous months indicating that global manufacturing growth has peaked:
“Air cargo demand had another strong month in August, up 7.7% compared to pre-COVID levels. Many of the economic indicators point to a strong year-end peak season. With international travel still severely depressed, there are fewer passenger planes offering belly capacity for cargo. And supply chain bottlenecks could intensify as businesses continue to ramp up production,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Asia-Pacific airlines saw their international air cargo volumes increase 3.0% in August 2021 compared to the same month in 2019.This was a slowdown in demand compared to the previous month’s 4.4% expansion. Demand is being affected by an easing in growth momentum in key activity indicators in Asia, and by congested supply chains especially on Within Asia and Europe-Asia routes. International capacity is significantly constrained in the region, down 21.7% vs. August 2019.
North American carriers posted an 18% increase in international cargo volumes in August 2021 compared to August 2019. New export orders and demand for faster shipping times are underpinning the North American performance. The downside risk from capacity constraints is high; international cargo capacity remains restricted and many of the key air cargo hubs are reporting severe congestion, including Los Angeles and Chicago. International capacity decreased 6.6%.
European carriers saw a 6% increase in international cargo volumes in August 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. This was on a par with July’s performance. Manufacturing activity, orders and long supplier delivery times remain favorable to air cargo demand. International capacity decreased 13.6%.
Middle Eastern carriers experienced an 15.4% rise in international cargo volumes in August 2021 versus August 2019, an improvement compared to the previous month (13.4%). The large Middle East–Asia trade lanes continue to post strong performance. International capacity decreased 5.1%.
Latin American carriers reported a decline of 14% in international cargo volumes in August compared to the 2019 period, which was the weakest performance of all regions. Capacity remains significantly constrained in the region, with international capacity decreasing 27.1% in August, the largest fall of any region.
African airlines’ saw international cargo volumes increase by 33.9% in August, the largest increase of all regions. Investment flows along the Africa-Asia route continue to drive the regional outcomes with volumes on the route up 26.4% over two years ago. International capacity decreased 2.1%.
The futuristic city of Dubai is welcoming the world on October 1, 2021 as it hosts the first World Expo ever held in the Middle East Africa and South Asia region. Expo 2020 Dubai is one of the first major in-person global events to take place since the pandemic disrupted the world order more than a year ago and ushered what we now observe as the new normal.
Some 191 countries are participating in this major event running through 31 March 2022, in parallel with major businesses, multilateral organizations and educational institutions and other stakeholders, working on the event’s theme, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”
Described as the most diverse World Expo ever held, Dubai and the rest of the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates are thrilled to potentially welcome millions of visitors from across the world to the six-month event celebrating human ingenuity, innovation, progress and culture.
Marvelous Logistics
Each of the 191 countries participating in the event must build their own pavilion revolving around the Expo’s key subthemes – Opportunity (unlocking human potential to promote growth), Mobility (movement of people and goods while harnessing technology) and Sustainability (clean environment while protecting the planet).
Inside the Expo site is a city itself—residential areas, parks, entertainment centers and other facilities typically found in an urban smart area.
Since the UAE won the bid to host the Expo years ago, construction had silently begun at the site and so did the work for each country building their own unique pavilions.
This involved massive logistics on air, land and sea transportation to haul construction supplies and building materials. For delicate materials and equipment, including high-value artifact, cargo planes were mainly utilized for different projects and special features that will be showcased throughout the six-month event.
Consider these: 21-meter high portals overlooking the Expo entry ways, giant screens, unique architectural pieces, high-tech robots, pricey artifacts, and so on.
Hundreds of cargo specialists, logisticians, loadmasters, IT experts and other highly-skilled people involved in the air cargo and logistics industries worldwide, were needless to say, silent participants to this global event apart from numerous engineering and architectural firms that were commissioned to build pavilions, and thousands of others in different fields who will run the pavilions once it’s officially opened to the public.
UAE ready to welcome the world
Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has reaffirmed the UAE’s readiness to welcome the world to Expo 2020 Dubai and herald a new era of international collaboration.
His Highness made these remarks as he visited the Expo 2020 Dubai site with by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, among other officials, weeks before the doors were opened to the world’s largest cultural event.
Sheikh Mohammed praised the efforts of Expo 2020’s employees, and commended all local and federal government entities for their support to deliver a successful mega-event that befits the status and reputation of the UAE.
“We look forward to receiving delegations from 191 countries as well as businesses, multilateral organizations and educational institutions, who will join in the making of a better tomorrow for humanity. Amid this critical phase in the history of mankind, Expo 2020 Dubai will provide a unique opportunity for the world to come together, exchange knowledge and develop innovative solutions for a better future,” His Highness said.
During his visit, Sheikh Mohammed also inspected two new landmarks – the Expo 2020 Water Feature and the Garden in the Sky observation tower. An award-winning composer was involved in crafting the original musical score for the Expo 2020 Water Feature, which includes water, earth and fire features.
Meanwhile, the Garden in the Sky observation tower, built at a height of 55 metres, will offer breathtaking 360-degree views of Expo 2020 Dubai, including the site’s icons and pavilions representing 191 participating countries, many of whom will have their own pavilion for the first time in the 170-year history of World Expos.
The Expo 2020 Water Feature and the Garden in the Sky observation tower are both set to appeal to millions of visitors during Expo 2020 and will continue to serve as major attractions even after the event closes its doors.
Expo 2020 Passport
Dubai residents and international visitors alike will get a special passport as a souvenir while exploring the 200-plus participating pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The passport will encourage visitors to see as many pavilions as possible during the 182-day event, while allowing them to look back and relive the memories of their experiences after they visit, said a press release issued by Expo 2020 Dubai on Thursday.
Since its introduction at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal, the passport has become one of the most popular Expo souvenirs for visitors who want to keep track of all the different international pavilions they visit, collecting pavilion stamps as a memento.
The Expo 2020 version is inspired by the UAE’s heritage, linking the past with the present. Shaped like an official passport, the 50-page booklet contains designs and pictures of the three Thematic Pavilions (Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion, Alif – The Mobility Pavilion and Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion), as well as Al Wasl Plaza – the crown jewel of the Expo site – plus other Dubai landmarks, such as the city’s iconic skyline, and other elements relating to the UAE.
The yellow, customisable passport also comes with its own enhanced security features – a unique number, an area to include a passport-sized photo, personal details and hidden watermarked images on each of its pages, ensuring that no two documents are alike.
With the UAE currently celebrating its Golden Jubilee year, the passport pays homage to the nation’s Founding Father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with a special page stamped in gold foil, and a photograph dating from 1971, when the UAE celebrated the birth of the nation. On 2nd December, visitors to Expo will also receive an exclusive stamp in commemoration of the UAE’s 50th Anniversary.
Priced at AED20, the Expo 2020 Dubai passport is available for purchase from all official Expo 2020 Dubai stores located across the Expo site, the Expo 2020 Dubai store located in Dubai Airports’ Terminal 3 and expo2020dubai.com/onlinestore. Photos & Text Source: WAM
“UAVs play a vital role in disaster preparedness and response, from surveying potential transport bottlenecks, to helping to quickly assess damage after an event. While drones are being used successfully for last mile delivery of small medical packages in countries like Rwanda and Ghana, larger capacity drones are needed to better support humanitarian operations in remote locations.” – George Fenton, Chief Executive, Humanitarian Logistics Association
“Drones are a clear part of the future transport and logistics landscape. There is vast potential when it comes to new cargo and delivery services, as well as other innovative applications, including drone flights with passengers on board in the future.” – European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean
Indonesia, the world’s largest island-nation with over 17,0000 islands and home to more than 270 million people, continues to be ravaged by the more transmissible and deadlier Coronavirus variant, Delta. The pandemic has so far infected more than 4 million Indonesians and killed nearly 140,000 as of early September.
The newly-industrialized oil-rich Indonesia is still faced with poverty and reaching out to those in remote villages during this pandemic is a major challenge.
But thanks to the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more popularly known in the industry as cargo drones, some remote island villages in the country are getting medical help.
For instance, in Makassar, the capital of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province, a group of civilian drone enthusiasts have been using their drone skills to provide contactless medicine and food delivery to COVID-19 patients isolating at home, the media reported. The group works 24/7 for what they view as critical life-threatening mission using just five drones.
Garuda Indonesia, the country’s national carrier, has explored the possibility of increasing its cargo fleet by using 100 drones to haul cargo to different islands as early as 2019, in partnership with a Chinese firm.
Time-bound and faced with limited manpower, governments and healthcare companies have found ways to reach out to more patients this pandemic using cargo drones.
The last-mile delivery of essential medical supplies and products can be very challenging in remote or hard-to-reach areas where there are inaccessible roads, shortage of vehicles and inefficient supply chains.
This pandemic, these cargo drones have become very essential in picking-up and delivering lab samples, medical supplies, transport vaccines, among other medical essentials, saving time and money while saving lives.
In some cases, drones are also used to spray disinfectant in public places or monitor movement of people while providing guidance during lockdown and quarantine.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the global agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide, at least 18 countries have so far used drones for delivery and transportation purposes during this pandemic.
“Some of them did it as part of experimentation and tests, while others maintained their regular drone delivery operations. Three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, namely Rwanda, Ghana and Malawi reported the use of drones to deliver regular medical commodities, COVID-19 supplies and medical samples since the beginning of the pandemic,” UNICEF said.
But the agency cautioned, while the right drone solution could really offer a breakthrough helping to handle the pandemic crisis, “it also needs to be supported by appropriate regulatory framework, local skills and sustainability plan. Seeing the full picture is essential to enable supply chain managers make cost-efficient and impactful decisions as part of their COVID-19 response.”
Ghana has been using Zipline drones to deliver tens of thousands of temperature and time-sensitive COVID-19 vaccines since the WHO approved its roll-out in late 2020. Canada has also been using drones to reach out its remote communities.
And so does the United States. The US Federal Aviation Authority has so far selected 10 companies for airworthiness certification to use drones for deliveries. These include Zipline, Amazon Prime Air and Wingcopter.
Among air carriers, UPS has intensively used drones during this pandemic taking advantage of its FAA certifications allowing it to deliver short and longer-distance as well as nighttime flights.
COVID-ravaged India where the Delta variant was first discovered is also anticipating to see more cargo drones working. In June, cargo carrier SpiceXpress and e-commerce logistics platform Delhivery, announced their joint venture on cargo drones.
“We are very excited about this project as it promises to be a game-changer in times to come. The MoU is a win-win for both companies leveraging their strengths to deliver great synergies,” SpiceXpress CEO Sanjiv Gupta said in the statement. His company was among the key consortiums shortlisted by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation to conduct trials on Beyond Visual Line Sight (BVLOS) drones in the country.
Faced with the challenges of reaching out to communities, patients and healthcare facilities in remote areas, specialists from across the pharma air cargo supply chain had since launched an extensive review on how drones can be used to address the issue.
The nonprofit groups Pharma.Aero and Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) had since launched a joint project aimed at developing a strategic roadmap to enable effective transportation of pharma and humanitarian medical goods to remote areas using UAV and drone technology.
The results of the survey and insights gathered amongst the presenters, the attendees and the project group were outlined in a White Paper, marking the completion of their joint project’s first phase. The White Paper examined the competitive positioning of UAV against other transportation modes, the regulatory framework for drone operations and applications of UAV in the Pharma and Humanitarian Air Cargo sector.
Their survey indicated that UAV would become the preferred and efficient transportation solution compared to traditional modes of transport for last-mile delivery, into remote and hard-to-access areas within certain concentration of health facilities like hospitals, health centers, clinics, etc.
But the groups noted for UAV to become an integral part of air cargo, industry and regulatory bodies must work for common goals and standards.
“Countries across the globe need to align on standards, regulations and guidelines to ensure safety of UAV for final mile deliveries. With this, there could be higher understanding and acceptance from the pharma and air cargo industry to increase the use of UAVs as a form of freight transportation in the pharma supply chain,” Pharma.Aero and HLA jointly said in a statement.
“The second phase of the project will involve a UAV flight in Germany capturing different steps of the supply chain journey. The demonstration flight will be filmed and showcased in an interactive and immersive 360° learning video giving our members and other interested parties the opportunity to explore the features and capabilities of drones and UAVs,” they added.
Trevor Caswell, Manager (Demand & Product Development), Edmonton International Airport and Vice Chairman, Pharma.Aero, is convinced that drones will become an integral part of the air cargo industry given today’s situation.
“With the advancements in drone technology coming so far in recent years, the future of UAV is here. Drones being used for last mile delivery is here to stay, and projects like this will provide insights to our members and industry on how drone technology could become more integrated in the pharmaceutical supply chains, delivering life-saving products directly to the end user. It is very exciting for Pharma.Aero to be working with our partners on such a groundbreaking project, where we can incorporate both humanitarian logistical needs and advanced technology to ensure low-cost, reliable and just-in-time delivery of essential goods to where they are needed,” said Caswell.
George Fenton, Chief Executive, Humanitarian Logistics Association, noted, “UAVs play a vital role in disaster preparedness and response, from surveying potential transport bottlenecks, to helping to quickly assess damage after an event. While drones are being used successfully for last mile delivery of small medical packages in countries like Rwanda and Ghana, larger capacity drones are needed to better support humanitarian operations in remote locations.
“More support is needed to help develop the national regulatory frameworks required to ensure effective use of UAVs. The HLA is keen to help generate and share knowledge in the endeavor and is pleased to be collaborating with Pharma.Aero on this project.”
Last April, the European Commission adopted the U-Space Package—three regulations that essentially creates conditions necessary for both drones and manned aircraft to operate safely in the EU airspace known as the U-Space.
These regulations will become law on 26 January 2023. Essentially, they introduce new services for drone operators, allowing them to carry out more complex and longer-distance operations, particularly in congested, low-level airspace (below 120m), and when out of sight.
The EC believes the U-space creates and harmonizes the conditions needed for manned and unmanned aircraft to operate safely, to prevent collisions between drones and other aircraft, and to mitigate the risks of drone traffic on the ground.
“Drones are a clear part of the future transport and logistics landscape. There is vast potential when it comes to new cargo and delivery services, as well as other innovative applications, including drone flights with passengers on board in the future. This has clear added value in terms of achieving our decarbonization, digitalization and resilience ambitions, and the U-Space package is an important step towards creating the well-functioning, trusted and safe enabling environment that we need to develop a competitive EU drone services market,” said Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean.
For the pharma industry, the U-Space is a milestone in creating conditions necessary for both drones and manned aircraft as the law is expected to leverage worldwide harmonization of drone operations, considering the potential experiences and foreseen needs to connect with non-European countries.
With cargo drone use likely to increase further for medical and humanitarian reasons, experts predict the drone market to reach $6.15 billion by 2023 from only $3.64 billion in 2020.
War-torn Afghanistan finally received its first shipment of humanitarian aid on 30 August since the Taliban took over control of the government following America’s withdrawal on its longest war.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the successful airlift meant that it could “partially replenish” health facilities’ reserves and ensure that services can continue, for now.
Some 12.5 metric tons of supplies arrived in the northern airport of Mazar-i-Sharif, aboard a plane provided by the Government of Pakistan. WHO said the shipment consisted of enough trauma and emergency health kits to cover the basic health needs of more than 200,000 people, as well as provide 3500 surgical procedures and treat 6500 trauma patients.
The supplies will be delivered immediately to 40 health facilities in 29 provinces across Afghanistan, the UN agency added.
The plane was loaded with the supplies by WHO’s logistics team at the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
It is the first of three flights planned with Pakistan International Airlines to fill urgent shortages in medicines and medical supplies in Afghanistan.
“The support of the Pakistani people has been timely and life-saving,” said Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. While WHO is working with partners to ensure more shipments to the country, the agency said a reliable humanitarian air bridge is urgently required, to scale up the collective humanitarian effort.
Tens of millions of vulnerable Afghans remain in the country and the work of meeting their needs is now just beginning, said the agency adding that the world cannot now divert its attention from the people of Afghanistan at this critical time.
Adding his voice to the appeal, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi has urged the international community to help the many millions in need in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries.
In an appeal for long-term solutions for Afghans whose lives have been blighted by 40 years of war, the UN Refugee chief said that although thousands had managed to escape via Kabul airport, “there will still be millions who need the international community to act”.
Millions of Afghanistan were displaced this year. Their priorities include shelter and non-food aid; water, sanitation and hygiene, collectively known as WASH; health, protection, and humanitarian assistance in border areas, as well as emergency livelihood support and social cohesion.
Currently, some 5.5 million Afghans are internally displaced, including more than 550,000 who were newly displaced this year, almost half of whom fled their homes since July.
More than 18 million Afghans, or nearly half the population, already required humanitarian assistance, including 10 million children, with needs expected to rise. Source: UN
Abu Dhabi, UAE – Etihad Airways marked the Emirati Women’s Day with a series of events highlighted by the announcement of its new collaboration with Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination to establish a chocolate factory for people of determination.
Women from ZHO will be trained by Etihad’s professional chefs from Etihad Catering to operate the factory and hand-made chocolate.
With the theme “Women: Ambitions & Inspiration for the Next 50 Years,” in line with the UAE’s 50th anniversary year, the airline said it will help establish the facility by providing the machinery and funding the ingredients for the first year of production, in addition to promoting the chocolate.
Dr. Nadia Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services and Corporate Social Responsibility, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This project will play an important role in empowering women of determination and creating opportunities in the community. The goal of Etihad’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to support the community through opportunity creation, training and development.”
In addition, and under its existing agreement with the Emirati Red Crescent, Etihad will launch a new project with Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts, to empower and support underprivileged women through the production of sustainable crafts. Etihad will provide non-stock products and recycled materials to Al Ghadeer which can be repurposed into hand crafted objects and sold.
The project will help hundreds of women and families with additional income resource.
Etihad has been working in cooperation with Emirates Red Crescent for the past six years, collaborating on various initiatives, including projects to empower women and children, as well as working with Sheikha Fatima fund for refugee women, Grace Conservations and Al Ghadeer organizations.
The pandemic has shattered so many lives and economies. And its longer-term effects for people and businesses, for better or worse, are irrevocable, leaving us with no option but to adopt to our new normal and the evolving challenges.
When the Coronavirus spread worldwide, the global air cargo industry became the lifeline of humanity, transporting vital medical supplies and other essentials to save lives while the many people behind their operations are risking their own. Its role continued this year with the additional responsibility of flying billions of COVID-19 vaccines across continents which the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) dubbed as the “mission of the century.”
So far, more than 4.54 billion doses have been administered globally with about 30.4% of the world population receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to various reports. By the end of this year, more than 11 billion doses would have been manufactured.
COVAX or the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, a worldwide initiative aimed at providing for an equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization, has delivered more than 188 million doses to 138 countries to date.
By early 2022, COVAX hopes to distribute 2 billion doses to poor income nations, funded by G7 countries and other donors. Their efforts, however, remain heavily challenged due to financial constraints, poor health infrastructure and systems as well as the emergence of new COVID variants disrupting global recovery.
CARGO MILESTONES
The global air cargo industry ended 2020 with $128.2 billion in revenues, a new all-time high, amid a surge on rates resulting from limited cargo capacity, even as there remains, on the other hand, a high demand for air cargo goods and e-commerce shipments.
“As a result, air freight rates were 55.9% higher in 2020 overall compared to 2019, at 2.79$/kg. Combined with the relatively resilient outcome in air cargo volumes (down 9.1% year-on-year in 2020), this means revenues from transporting goods by air rose by 27.2% in 2020. At $128.2bn, this is a new all-time high. This far offsets the fall in passenger traffic, but still provides needed support to airlines that were able to operate cargo flights,” IATA pointed out in its newly-released World Air Transport Statistics 2021 (WATS).
Many airlines whose passenger planes remain grounded due to the pandemic and travel ban opted to convert some aircraft to freighter use yet their combined capacity were still not enough to meet the surge on air cargo demand.
“The lack of available passenger aircraft meant that air cargo capacity was not sufficient to accommodate the rapid rebound in demand. Indeed, despite airlines increasing freighters capacity and converting passenger aircraft to freighters, industry-wide available cargo ton-kilometers (ACTKs) fell 21.2% year-on-year in 2020. This led to a capacity crunch, with the industry-wide cargo load factor up 7.1 percentage points to 53.9%. This is the highest value in the IATA series started in 1990,” WATS said.
By end-2020, industry-wide cargo ton-kilometers (CTKs) had returned close to pre-crisis values, IATA said. But noted that the yearly decline in cargo demand (CTKs) was still the largest since the Global Financial Crisis in 2009, at a sizeable 9.7% year-on-year in 2020.
The high demand for air cargo services is carried through 2021 with the first half of the year seeing 8% growth, the industry’s strongest half performance in four years.
“Air cargo is doing brisk business as the global economy continues its recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. With first-half demand 8% above pre-crisis levels, air cargo is a revenue lifeline for many airlines as they struggle with border closures that continue to devastate the international passenger business. Importantly, the strong first-half performance looks set to continue,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said in a statement.
Cargo business has indeed created opportunities for many struggling airlines, some accounting for as much as 49% of their revenues in 2020.
TOP CARGO AIRLINES
In 2019, cargo carriers faced declining volumes amid the US and China trade war, resulting to low production and demand among major exporters and importers of various products.
But a reversal of fortune occurred in 2020 with demand for air transportation shooting up at an all-time high to carry disposable face masks, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE), among many other medical supplies and equipment needed at hospitals worldwide to treat millions of people infected with the virus.
Masks alone account for a huge proportion of the cargo hauled in 2020 estimated at nearly 2 billion. According to studies, the global market for disposable masks grew exponentially to 396.6% in 2020 and this year to 18.2%. The market and intelligence firm, Research and Markets, estimate the mask industry to reach US$28.8 billion in value by 2027.
The pandemic kept many cargo airlines busy throughout 2020. Topping the list measured in terms of scheduled cargo-ton kilometers were two American-based cargo and logistics firms – Federal Express (19.7 billion CTKs) and United Parcel Service (14.4 billion CTKs).
FedEx saw its revenues surged during the period with huge demand for business-to-business shipments and US domestic package services. UPS saw its FY 2020 revenues rose 14.2 percent to $84.6 billion in 2020.
Qatar Airways (13.7 billion); Emirates (9.6 billion), and; Cathay Pacific Airways (8.1 billion) ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively in terms of CTKs hauled in 2020, according to WATS 2021.
ENGINE FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Global economic recovery efforts are ongoing everywhere across many countries and cities as new challenges emerge with the devastating impact of the more transmissible Delta variant that originated from India. Nonetheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said its earlier forecast of 6% global economic growth remains unchanged for now. It however noted a widening gap among countries in reaching that target.
“Divergences in policy support are a second source of the deepening divide. We are seeing continued sizable fiscal support in advanced economies with $4.6 trillion of announced pandemic-related measures available in 2021 and beyond. The upward global growth revision for 2022 largely reflects anticipated additional fiscal support in the United States and from the Next Generation European Union funds.
“On the other hand, in emerging market and developing economies, most measures expired in 2020 and they are looking to rebuild fiscal buffers. Some emerging markets like Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey have also begun raising monetary policy rates to head off upward price pressures. Commodity exporters have benefited from higher-than-anticipated commodity prices,” the IMF said in its latest global economic outlook.
The success of global economic recovery is largely contingent upon how fast the world can vaccinate everyone on the planet. And there lies the important role of the air cargo industry and others in the aviation sector.
The Montreal-based Airports Council International (ACI) World said air cargo remains an important engine of economic growth and plays a crucial role in the ongoing fight against the pandemic while facilitating the recovery phase.
It noted that many airports have managed to sustain or even grow their cargo operations during the pandemic, which has proven crucial in providing liquidity for airport operators and in some cases, even ensured the longer-term solvency of the airport business.
ACI had since published a complimentary report to help airport operators develop successful cargo strategies that can contribute to the sustained recovery of the industry by developing alternative revenue streams.
The ACI report, titled Developing Cargo at Airports guide has been prepared in collaboration with – and sponsored by – Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) and InterVISTAS. The guide includes inputs from global airports and air cargo industry experts.
“As airports come out of the pandemic and look to ensure long-term financial sustainability through the diversification of their revenue streams, cargo is an important area to be explored,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “A clear cargo strategy will help further airports’ understanding of the current landscape and opportunities, as well as build a robust business plan for the future.
“Cargo continues to be critical to global recovery through the supply of goods – such as medicine, medical equipment, and most recently, vaccines – and play a key role in supporting the communities we serve.
“This guide has been developed leveraging NACO’s extensive expertise and understanding of the air cargo market, and equally integrates the experience and lessons learned from ACI airport members. These inputs, which are highly appreciated, have been invaluable to establishing a comprehensive landscape of the cargo value chain and understanding of the key elements of a robust airport cargo strategy.”
ACI said the report envisions to enable airports that are not currently tapping into the potential of cargo to better understand and identify opportunities and help those airports that currently have extensive cargo operations with the re-formulation of their cargo strategy where needed.
Specifically, the guidance highlights the importance of analyzing current data (i.e., market trends, stakeholders’ perspective and cargo demand and supply), developing a clear cargo vision and cargo master plan, and ensuring the capabilities and infrastructure that create a lasting benefit.
“Airports need to manage many aspects to deliver a successful cargo strategy and we hope this report can be an invaluable tool in supporting them throughout the process,” NACO-InterVISTAS Director Esther Kromhout said.
“We believe that having a long-term strategy is crucial to inform infrastructure investment and guide operations improvement – allowing airports to collaborate effectively, deliver value and drive positive impact; whether that’s meeting Net-Zero commitments or driving digitalization that provides greater cost and operational efficiencies for customers.”
DUBAI, UAE: On July 6, 1885, history was made in modern medicine and treatment when Louis Pasteur administered the first attenuated vaccine to a human patient.
Over the next 135 years, the development of vaccines for various diseases grew by leaps and bounds punctuated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic when scientists made a breakthrough, developing different types of vaccines in less than a year to protect people against the COVID virus.
Today, Emirates SkyCargo continues its crucial role in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturing locations to destinations around the world, particularly to developing countries where they are needed the most.
The freight division of Emirates has so far flown 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through Dubai.
Some of the key highlights of Emirates SkyCargo’s COVID-19 vaccine transportation include
Emirates SkyCargo is a global leader in the air transportation of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals including COVID-19 vaccines. The air cargo carrier has dedicated GDP certified infrastructure at its Dubai hub for handling pharmaceuticals. Even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the carrier flew close to 200 tonnes of pharmaceuticals every day on its flights.
In January 2020, Emirates SkyCargo joined hands with DP World, International Humanitarian City and Dubai Airports to form the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance aimed at rapidly transporting COVID-19 vaccines through Dubai to developing countries. This was shortly followed up in February 2020 with an MoU with UNICEF to expedite the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX initiative.
Accelerating the adoption of digital technologies in logistics
“The trillion-dollar freight industry demands smart and evolving technologies with an increased focus on procurement and overall supply chain transformation to meet the needs of the changing customer requirements.” C.M Mathew, Founder & CEO, LogisEye Solutions
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by several years globally. This crisis brought major changes in the mindset of management on the role of technology in business and has spread the awareness among people on the need for embracing digital solutions. The pandemic was the tipping point in world history that brought a new way of life – “the New Normal”— and many of these major changes will remain for years to come.
The mantra is “Go Digital to Grow Business”. Early adopters are reaping the benefits of digital transformation as it helped them to minimize the impact of current crisis on their business.
Digital transformation in different logistics functions is at its nascent stage. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chain and logistics globally. There are several early-stage startups where each one is focusing on certain selected functions, regions, or modes of transport.
LogisEye Solutions’ ecosystem is unique as its different digital solutions will meet most of the logistics procurement and payment requirements of international traders and logistics service providers across all market segments. Its cloud-based applications can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
The benefits to all the users in the value chain are enormous in terms of cost savings, highest level of real-time visibility, improved efficiency and time savings, enhanced transparency, electronic document management (EDM), exceptional collaboration and customer experience, and simplified IT integration.
The pragmatic marketplace
With limited manpower resources, remote working and time being of essence as economies reel from the impact of the pandemic, LogisEye digital solutions for procurement of freight and marine insurance can make a big difference to every importer/exporter.
LogisEye launched a marketplace (LogiQuote) that offers instant rates and an eBidding solution (LogieBid) for real-time freight rates from multiple suppliers worldwide to accelerate and simplify the complexities of today’s supply chain.
C.M. Mathew, Founder and CEO of LogisEye, explained that the industry is currently characterized with manual processes and inefficiencies to manage procurement of logistics services and face significant challenges leading to increased time & cost of doing business. This is what LogisEye’s platform and solutions seek to address.
“The trillion-dollar freight industry demands smart and evolving technologies with an increased focus on procurement and overall supply chain transformation to meet the needs of the changing customer requirements,” said Mathew.
“The company differs from other online freight ebooking platforms as it aims to provide a broad range of custom-tailored integrated procurement and payment solutions with the best cost-effective rates for both importers and exporters, in real-time.”
“The market and customer requirements are changing very often. This will make the supply chain requirements even more challenging. Smart and evolving technologies must be introduced with an increased focus on procurement and an overall supply chain transformation. This will unlock value and empower customers achieve their goals. This is where LogisEye fits in perfectly.”
The chartered accountant turned techpreneur had an opportunity to speak on the subject “The Maturity Level of Digital Transformation in Supply Chain” and a day of immersion on Artificial Intelligence conference triggered his interest on technology.
The traditional manual processes followed in procuring freight rates require days due to poor response time. Most of the rates from various suppliers are not comparable. Importers/exporters depend on handful of regular suppliers for their freight procurement. Apart from that, the manual processes result in billing errors, duplicate billing and double payments that increases logistics and administrative costs.
LogisEye platform offers a relief from these tedious processes, saving all stakeholders time and money.
Along with shipping costs, LogisEye platform also offers users the right cargo insurance for the protection of their goods, offering convenience and cost-effective solution in today’s fast-paced world.
Launched in 2019, LogisEye is a Tech start-up specializing in innovative digital solutions for Procurement of Logistics Services. The solution is hosted on the cloud, offering a broad range of custom-tailored integrated logistics procurement solutions that services over 40+ countries and territories worldwide, with the aim of transforming, accelerating & simplifying end-to-end logistics procurement. The platform architecture and interoperability features simplify and standardize the procurement processes
“Our ecosystem connects Importers & Exporters with Logistics Service Providers and Cargo Insurance Companies, empowering all stakeholders in the value chain to interact and operate in real-time. The platform delivers customer-centric experience with advanced customer relationship management solution, powered by Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning technologies,” said Mathew.
The solutions are designed to cater to customers with volume of any size, designed to provide access to Instant Quotes and Spot bids. Users can search for instant freight and insurance rates and/or launch an eBid, select suppliers, pay for and route shipments and track to get full visibility & analytics.
LogisEye recently launched its flagship solutions for procurement of freight:
LogieBid is an e-Bidding or reverse auction solution. Importers and exporters can now launch eBids to obtain quotes within a specific defined timeline. Users can select from LogisEye registered suppliers and/or even invite additional Logistics Service Providers of their choice. Suppliers can get visibility of their ranking while submitting rates and modify their submission any number of times before the bid is closed to increase their conversion. Users can currently launch reverse auction for their airfreight and sea freight shipments across the world and will integrate road freight shipments soon.
“It is very simple to launch freight Bids, easy to compare and analyze rates online, get visibility of logistics costs as percentage of merchandise value, select and award the Bids with total transparency,” said Mathew. Users can also get all business intelligence reports from our interactive Dashboard.
LogiQuote – A Market Place for Freight, launched during 2021, the state-of-the-art digital platform enables users to search & obtain quotes instantly from multiple Logistics Service Providers. Users can compare rates instantly, pay, route and get real-time visibility for their shipments under one platform, irrespective of using multiple service providers.
LogisEye marketplace currently provides airfreight rates for shipments connecting UAE with +40 countries and +1200 trade lanes for imports and exports. LogisEye aims to increase their geographical reach to +100 countries and integrate rates for other modes of transport including Sea (FCL/LCL), Road (FTL/LTL) and even Courier.
“People usually use Skyscanner or Cleartrip for their travel requirements. LogiQuote is a similar solution for instant freight rates, where our rate engine provides rates in less than 6 seconds once they update their shipment details. Users can even opt to get marine insurance rate instantly. Display of the rates can be sorted in different orders like Costs – Low to High, Transit Time – Low to High, Supplier Performance Rating, IATA Ranking etc. In addition, users can filter from multiple rates based on preferred service levels, suppliers and carriers, rates on different dates, costs within their target price etc.,” Mathew explained.
Since the soft launch of its flagship solutions, LogisEye has successfully attracted +350 customers and +35 logistics companies registered to its platform. As part of the pilot solution launch, the company currently offers free access to its registered customers for first three months.
The Techpreneur
Born and raised in the state of Kerala in India, Mathew, a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary by profession, nurtured a successful career in finance and accounting.
After gaining 8 years of experience in Mumbai, Mathew moved to Dubai nearly three decades ago. He started his career in Dubai with Danzas AEI Emirates, a joint venture between Al Tayer Group and DHL Global Forwarding, the world leader in integrated logistics, where he stayed for 26 years and served in various key management roles, including as its Chief Financial Officer.
“During the +26 years working in the logistics industry, I have encountered all major challenges that customers and suppliers face in terms of manual and archaic business processes and documentation, inefficiencies in operations and pricing, lack of transparency and visibility, etc. This led me to establish LogisEye with the purpose of developing digital solutions to deal with all these challenges and inefficiencies,” said Mathew
With years of experience in logistics industry, professional educational background, track record, entrepreneurial spirit and with the significant relationship built over the years, Mathew, being convinced that technology is the next lucrative business frontier to be explored, launched LogisEye with a seed capital of USD $4 million.
“Funding is a big challenge and Covid 19 pandemic made it even more difficult. We have invested almost US$ 4 million on this start-up so far. In addition to an investment of US $ 2 million from founders, we managed to raise US $2 million in seed funding so far. Our investors were convinced on the market requirements and market size, uniqueness of our digital solutions, limited competition, experience of the founding team and lucrative growth potential of their investment.”
“With our plans to invest into R&D, develop additional digital solutions and to meet our global marketing expenses, LogisEye is seeking additional funding,” shared Mathew.
Innovative team
Headquartered in Dubai, LogisEye currently has 28 employees in Dubai and 26 in Cochin, India. LogisEye has a mix of young and experienced IT engineers, customer service executives, logistics professionals and other specialists from different functions, who collectively create innovative ideas and solutions to meet the fast changing and challenging market requirements.
Advise to aspiring entrepreneurs
“Start-ups are quite alluring to most people. One must know that setting up a start-up is a very challenging task requiring your full focus and dedication. You should be prepared to face failures and use them as a tool for future success. Listen to the stories on the start-up failures and learn from the mistakes of other entrepreneurs. Keep an eye on changing customer requirements and market scenarios. Ensure timely changes to your business strategies that will make you a successful leader in the market. Covid 19 pandemic has already sent a strong global awareness on the immediate requirement for digital solutions. Be an optimist, seek creative opportunities, embrace the latest technologies and develop innovative solutions to support the world,” said Mathew.
“Going forward, we are planning to integrate Blockchain technology that will enable managing and storage of records, instant verification and validation of transactions, managing contracts and payments, optimizing common financial & operational goals on the platform and thereby create and build trust among the stakeholders,” he added.
According to the World Economic Forum, TradeTech or technologies for trade leverages the internet of things (IoT), AI, 5G, cloud-based platforms and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to unlock new possibilities and enable transparency and traceability in digital trade and global value chains. As the world slowly threads on economic recovery, more and more digital disruptions will emerge.
BOX OUT
LogisEye invites Logistic Service Providers (LSP) to join its dynamic digital logistics procurement platform to get quality leads and generate new business. You can submit valid freight rates to our marketplace (LogiQuote) and participate in online eBidding/reverse auction (LogieBid) across different trade lanes for different modes of transport.
Users can update/bid rates online, receive digital routing notifications, provide real-time visibility through data integration, eliminate manual interaction and reduce the cost of doing business.
Additionally, Logistics Service Providers can register as a customer on our platform to obtain instant freight rates for international trade lanes and launch eBids to procure competitive freight rates from sub-contractors and carriers.
For more info, visit www.logiseye.com.
DUBAI: Emirates carried only 6.6 million passengers in 2020, down by 88%, as the pandemic ravaged the global aviation industry causing the airline’s parent company, Emirates Group, to incur annual losses of AED 22.1 billion (USD 6 billion), its first non-profitable year in more than three decades.
During the same period, Emirates SkyCargo, meanwhile, put in a stellar performance by rapidly responding to new demand in a changed global marketplace, contributing to 60% of the airline’s total transport revenue. It quickly scaled up operations and rebuilt its cargo network to meet strong demand from shippers who faced a capacity crunch when the pandemic forced airlines to drastically reduce flights.
With no flights and airport activities, dnata reported a loss of AED 1.8 billion (USD 496 million) down from AED 618 million (USD 168 million) profit in the previous year.
In a statement detailing highlights of the Group’s 2020-21 Annual Report, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a tremendous toll on human lives, communities, economies, and on the aviation and travel industry. In 2020-21, Emirates and dnata were hit hard by the drop in demand for international air travel as countries closed their borders and imposed stringent travel restrictions.
“Our top priorities throughout the year were: the health and wellbeing of our people and customers, preserving cash and controlling costs, and restoring our operations safely and sustainably. Emirates received a capital injection of AED 11.3 billion (US$ 3.1 billion) from our ultimate shareholder, the Government of Dubai, and dnata tapped on various industry support programs and availed a total relief of nearly AED 800 million in 2020-21. These helped us sustain operations and retain the vast majority of our talent pool. Unfortunately, we still had to make the difficult decision to resize our workforce in line with reduced operational requirements.”
For the first time in the Group’s history, redundancies were implemented across all parts of the business. As a result, the Group’s total workforce reduced by 31% to 75,145 employees, representing over 160 different nationalities.
Keeping a tight control on costs, across the Group, financial obligations were restructured, contracts renegotiated, processes examined and operations consolidated. The various cost reduction initiatives returned an estimated saving of AED 7.7 billion during the year.
In 2020-21, the Group collectively invested AED 4.7 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) in new aircraft and facilities, the acquisition of companies, and the latest technologies to position the business for recovery and future growth. It also continued to invest resources towards environmental initiatives, as well as supporting communities and incubator programs that nurture talent and innovation to drive future industry growth.
“No one knows when the pandemic will be over, but we know recovery will be patchy. Economies and companies that entered pandemic times in a strong position, will be better placed to bounce back. Until 2020-21, Emirates and dnata have had a track record of growth and profitability, based on solid business models, steady investments in capability and infrastructure, a strong drive for innovation, and a deep talent pool led by a stable leadership team. These fundamental ingredients of our success remain unchanged. Together with Dubai’s undiminished ambitions to grow economic activity and build a city for the future, I am confident that Emirates and dnata will recover and be stronger than before,” said Sheikh Ahmed, adding that the Group aims to operate in full capacity as quickly as possible.
Emirates received three new A380 aircraft during the financial year and phased out 14 older aircraft comprising of 9 Boeing 777-300ERs and 5 A380s, leaving its total fleet count at 259 at the end of March. Emirates’ average fleet age remains at a youthful 7.3 years.
Emirates’ order book for 200 aircraft remains unchanged at this time. The airline is firmly committed to its long-standing strategy of operating a modern and efficient fleet, which underscores its “Fly Better” brand promise, as young aircraft are better for the environment, better for operations, and better for customers.
Working closely with aviation stakeholders to design and implement bio-safety measures, Emirates gradually restored its passenger network and hub connectivity from mid-June 2020 as the UAE re-opened for transit travellers and later for international arrivals.
During the year, Emirates reactivated its strategic codeshare partnership with flydubai, and entered into agreements with new partners TAP Air Portugal, FlySafair, and Airlink in South Africa, to expand connectivity for its customers.
From zero scheduled passenger flights at the start of the financial year, to operations in over 120 destinations by 31 March 2021, Emirates has shown its ability to adapt and respond to challenges, and the resilience of its people and business model.
After more than a year of forced shutdown due to the pandemic, airlines have resumed operations and borders across the world have reopened thanks to the roll-out of various COVID-19 vaccines despite the many logistical and financial challenges in equitably distributing them.
Travel between countries and borders are slowly picking up and airports and smart technologies are key to sustaining the momentum and the future of the global aviation industry.
Worldwide, passenger traffic dropped by more than 76% on average during the pandemic while other more severely affected areas saw it plunged by over 90% with all airlines forced to shut down.
With social distancing and contactless activities now the new normal, airports have to fast-track the adoption and implementation of automated biometric contactless technologies such as facial recognition and e-gates.
Smart technology will define future airports
At the recently concluded three-day 20th edition of Airport Show Hybrid+, the largest post-pandemic gathering for the aviation industry held in Dubai and the world’s largest B2B airport industry exhibition, officials and experts underscored the importance of smart technologies in keeping global travel alive.
Major General Khalifa Ibrahim Al Saleis, Chief Executive Officer, Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA), said there will be no place for traditional airports to operate without advanced and smart technologies in the future stressing the necessity for airports of the future to enhance security and facilities enabled with smart devices.
Delivering the keynote speech on Future Technologies Enhancing Airport Security at the Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF) co-located at Dubai’s Airport Show 2021, he said Dubai airports welcomed 89.1 million travelers in 2019 out of the 8.8 billion people who traveled during the period.
The global trade body Airports Council International (ACI) estimate the number of travelers to reach 19.7 billion by 2040 which will require more simplified travel procedures while maintaining safety and security for all passengers and airports.
“We all know that security emigration and health check procedures which make long hours of delay are necessary and cannot be avoided. Smart airports are the future of air travel because of the smart devices provided to reduce waiting queue, waiting time, reduction in queue for passport control, security check and at duty-free and other outlets,” Major Al Saleis said.
“Smart counters resulted in reducing waiting time, waiting queues, waiting time for passport control, security check, and duty-free and other outlets. In 2018 and 2019, it was recorded that 78 percent users of these services were economy class passengers, which helped avoid crowding and reduction in waiting time at the terminal. The use of smart phone application for travel procedure, such as printing boarding pass, advance ticket booking, reduced the waiting time at the airports achieved social distancing,” he added.
He said the use of advance technology, smartgate and smart tunnel, introduction of digital passport supported by biometric technology speed up the travel procedure. The use of smartgate at Dubai airport reduced the time for completing travel procedures at the immigration and passport control to 15 seconds. While smart tunnel reduced the process by 9 seconds.
The digitalization of visa and certificates using blockchain technology and digital encryption makes it very difficult to tamper with the documents, especially when it is linked with biometric and fingerprint identification technology, Major Al Saleis noted.
Across the world, contactless technology is defining passenger experience at an increasing number of airports across.
The global smart airport market size is expected to reach about US$26 billion by 2025, according to a research study and it is projected to reach US$232.88 billion by 2027.
About 97 percent of airlines are working on mobile applications as all essential customer services become contactless. Automated biometric boarding gates are considered a priority by 58 percent of airlines, and are a focus of 64 percent of airports for both border checks and flight boarding.
Biometrics remain the focus for investment with 64 percent of airports aiming to roll out self-boarding gates using biometric and ID documentation by 2023 as well as touchless technology.
Touchless technology will help minimize the spread of viruses and reduce the interaction between passengers and staff through contactless check-in, security processes, inflight entertainment and food and beverage pre-ordering.
Essentials for travel now include contactless kiosks, Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS), contactless payments at the airport and mobile apps.
New fast-track passport control service in Dubai
Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Directorate of Residency & Foreign Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA-D), credited the wise leadership of the UAE government for its proactive approach and foresight in enhancing public service through innovation and smart technologies.
“Recently, we launched a new fast-track passport control service that uses face and iris-recognition technologies. The new biometric systems deployed at 122 smart gates at arrival and departure terminals in Dubai airports enable passengers to complete passport control procedures between 5 and 9 seconds depending on the movement and steps of the passenger. This system contributed to enhancing travelers’ confidence in the emirate, as such precautionary measures in light of the pandemic formed a safety umbrella for them,” Gen. Al Marri said.
He highlighted the UAE’s efforts in protecting and securing all its ports of entry while providing an exceptional seamless experience for travelers.
“Without the determination of the UAE’s wise leadership and its continuous endeavor to establish the country’s leadership in providing happiness and security for all, it would not have been possible. Today’s aviation sector today is considered one of the most critical sectors that achieved a quantum leap over the past years, as it is considered a major engine for economic growth in the world,” he said.
Dubai is anticipating to welcome more tourists this year as the UAE hosts Expo 2020 Dubai, the first global expo to be held in the Middle East and North Africa, which will run from 01 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Gen. Al Marri assured Dubai is fully prepared to welcome visitors intending to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai, saying, “We assure everyone that Dubai is fully prepared and ready to receive visitors to the Expo in October this year…We at the GRDFA Dubai are working to provide all facilities for issuing visas and residency stamping for international participants and exhibitors in Expo 2020 Dubai and giving everything that contributes to the success of this event in cooperation with all concerned parties.”
2021: Year of Transition
UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director General Saif Al Suwaidi said signs are pointing to a significant air travel demand in the second half of 2021 and sustainable recovery in air operations.
“I am confident that together we will continue our efforts to make 2021 to be a year of transition for sustainable recovery and growth. Today, despite the catastrophe and the vaccination rollout and increase in supply of vaccines globally more passengers are expected to return to travel and the UAE expects even more,” said Al Suwaidi in his welcome address at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum and Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF) co-located with the three-day Airport Show 2021 in Dubai.
In 2019, the UAE contributed to around 2.2% (in top 30 countries) in terms of worldwide international flights despite its small population. The country was also heavily relied on by other nations in transporting goods between continents through its robust logistics and air cargo industries.
Al Suwaidi noted the UAE immediately communicated with airports and airlines and formed several internal and national bodies to adjust and adopt safety certification to maintain an acceptable safety and security standards and support the global aviation industry.
“On the aviation safety and security front we have adapted publishing and adopting an unprecedented facilities and provisions and techniques to ensure continuity of services to maintain safe operation of our aircraft, airports and air navigation infrastructure,” he said. “From the time the total suspension of the non-essential operations was started in March 2020, we have started working and planning for the recovery during the peak of the pandemic.”
Ismaeil Al Balooshi, Assistant Director General Aviation Safety Affairs, UAE GCAA, said the UAE community is back to normalcy thanks to an effective vaccination strategy.
“Retail and recreation is an indicator for community normalization. Our recovery will be surging when other states will open up with the UAE, and we are all eyeing at normalcy for 2021. Countries have opened their borders, but with more entry conditions. It is a hopeful situation towards recovery,” he noted.
Stronger Together
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, who opened the 20th edition of the Airport Show said, “The aviation industry has a history of successfully bouncing back from crises and the Covid-19 pandemic is no different. The setback is temporary and we will again be on the tracks of transformation. The overwhelming response to the Airport Show is an indication of the aviation world’s strong confidence in Dubai and its global efforts.”
Like the previous editions, the Airport Show 2021 has three co-located events: Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF), Airport Security Middle East, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum along with and the Women in Aviation (WIA) General Assembly.
The event welcomed the participation of more than 95 exhibitors from 21 countries, 100-plus Hosted Buyers from over 20 countries and 36 exhibitors at five country pavilions by Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and the UK.
The event’s organizer, Reed Exhibitions, said the numbers are overwhelming given the prevailing travel restrictions across the globe following the 21st century’s second pandemic and the massive impact it has on the airports and airlines businesses on the planet.
Adding, the response to the Airport Show is a clear indication of a possible journey of the aviation industry on the road to recovery and its unfaltering confidence and tremendous efforts to revive and restore the lost business levels and the growth momentum.
France’s Pavilion had 10 companies participating highlighting innovations and smart solutions in technologies. Before the pandemic, the French airport sector has a turnover of €63.5 billion globally. In France alone the sector consists of 530 companies employing about 100,000 people.
Italy’s pavilion was the largest at the event with 24 companies participating through the collaboration of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the Embassy of Italy to the United Arab Emirates and the Employers’ Association for Italian engineering, architectural and technical economic consulting organizations (OICE).
Amedeo Scarpa, ICE Director, Dubai, described the UAE and Italy’s bilateral trade relations as robust and expressed hope for brighter prospects in the future.
“The fact that trade fairs have resumed, and that Italy has more exhibitors than any other country this week, is an immensely important sign. The construction and infrastructure sectors have always played a fundamental part in Dubai’s market, and the UAE’s,” said Scarpa.
“Across the public and private sector, there are over 30,000 active projects, and as the country has already launched into its post-pandemic phase, it’s an honour to initiate direct channels of communication with Emirati contractors and foster collaborations with Italian companies, including small and medium-sized ones in the fields of design, engineering, construction and software services, that are connected to activation and operation airport hubs in the UAE. Working with the vital support of our Embassy and the Consulate General, the ICE is hoping to reactivate these business channels,” he added.
Italy’s Ambassador to the UAE, Nicola Lener, said: “The partnership established between the OICE and ICE at the Airport Show Hybrid+ 2021 further confirms how vital internationalisation is within the engineering, architecture and technical-economic consultancy. As a highly strategic sector, it completely directs and activates the entire Italian chain of infrastructures and related services.”
Hope and Optimism
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts some 2.8 billion people to travel this year with the opening of the borders.
IATA, which represents 290 airlines accounting for over 82 percent of the total global air traffic, says people have not lost their desire to travel, and that travel has returned to its near-normal levels in several places where the travel restrictions have been removed. It had been earlier expected that the Arabian Gulf airports would handle 450 million passengers annually once travel returns to its previous levels.
Key decision-makers from major airports in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) have come to the Show in search of exploring and acquiring the newest products and services for their facilities for enhancing and safer passenger facilitation.
“There have been strong positive signs of recovery all over the world. Hopefully, 2021 will be a better year for the aviation/airport industry. The new standard for services at the airport will be seamless and contactless. The aviation industry will regain the lost momentum soon, especially in Dubai which is always ready to overcome all type of challenges. emaratech is showcasing this year a complete paperless/seamless experience to ease the passenger’s journey towards a safe flight and circulation within the airport,” said Thani Alzaffin, Group CEO, emaratech.
Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah International Airport Authority, said expects gradual return in the aviation industry in the region after experiencing exceptionally challenging times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He called for the strengthening of communication and cooperation in the industry to share plans and ideas and learn about the newest technologies.
IATA continues to urge governments to make data-driven decisions to manage the risks of COVID-19 when reopening borders to international travel. Strategies without quarantine measures can enable international travel to restart with a low risk of introduction of COVID-19 to the travel destination, it noted.
“Data can and should drive policies on restarting global travel that manage COVID-19 risks to protect populations, revive livelihoods and boost economies. We call on the G7 governments meeting later this month to agree on the use of data to safely plan and coordinate the return of the freedom to travel which is so important to people, livelihoods and businesses,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
IATA had since teamed-up with Airbus and Boeing to demonstrate potential methodologies to manage the risks of COVID-19 to keep populations safe while restarting global connectivity. Aviation, including manufacturers, effectively manages and mitigates risk every day to keep air travel safe. Using these skills, Airbus and Boeing have developed data-driven risk-management models to understand the impact of various options.
JEDDAH: Saudia Cargo kicked off, on Saturday 22 May 2021, its twice a week freighter flights using passenger planes to Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, widening its route network in Scandinavia for pharmaceuticals and perishables.
Saudia Airlines B777-300 passenger planes with 140-ton payload capacity per flight are being utilized as “preighters” on the route scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday.
“We have seen a growing demand for air cargo in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. And we believe that Copenhagen, as a central location in the Scandinavian region, is an ideal route to capture business from all these countries,” said Saudia Cargo Chief Cargo Officer Teddy Zebitz, himself a Danish. “For Denmark and Sweden, we’re focusing on pharmaceuticals while in Norway, we’re looking at transporting perishables like Salmon which the country is very well known for.”
Delighted with the launch of the flights on the new route, Zebitz added: “Saudia Cargo is here to reconnect the world. Our freighters stand ready to timely and efficiently transport supplies to Copenhagen and between Scandinavia. Saudia Cargo’s wide network across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, China and India in particular, will get the job done, help businesses rebound and save lives in this pandemic.”
The new flights are seen to boost Scandinavia’s import and export business amid continuing global recovery efforts in the post-pandemic era.
Saudi Arabia and Europe have robust bilateral trade relations boosted by regular cargo and passenger flights between them. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Europe is also highly valued for its pharmaceutical products, medicines, cars and trucks, tech products, machineries and equipment, food, among many other things.
Commenting on Saudia Cargo’s new flights to Denmark’s capital, Saudia Cargo Director Kenneth Fuhrmann, said, “We hope these new flights will yield to better business between the destinations and create more opportunities. Air cargo facilitates one-third of the global trade and we, at Saudia Cargo, take our role in transporting goods across the world very seriously. We will do the job safely and efficiently.”
Copenhagen Airport quickly welcomed the news saying this is the first commercial flight from Saudia Cargo to the route and expressed hope that passenger flights will soon follow once restrictions are lifted.
“This is in fact the first commercial flight that Saudia Cargo is operating to and from Copenhagen and Denmark. With two weekly departures, we will not only be able to give the Danish market a good and quick connection to Sadia Arabia, but also to several international connections from Riyadh and Jeddah,” said Johan Toreheim, Managing Director at Euro Cargo Aviation, the company’s GSSA in Scandinavia.
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
